Sorry, but the other comments posted here seem to have missed the tremendous emotional depth and honesty of the 3 main guest performances in this episode.
The half-hour version ("The Canvas Bullet") from Season 1 certainly moves along at a nice clip, but can't BEGIN to flesh out the characters as in this version. The new hospital scenes move the tragic, crucial nature of the drama into a a totally new realm. Shirley Knight's final monologue is one of the most beautifully controlled and shaped examples of first-rate acting you'll ever see, and Robert Duvall's quiet, brooding, but powerful intensity--driven by his heartfelt love for his wife--- makes Harry Guardino's portrayal in the earlier version seem like a warm-up by comparison. Frankly, there IS no comparison.
The expanded script also provides us with a much greater understanding of the conflicted character of Gus Slade, excellently portrayed by Herschel Bernardi. The newly added scenes between Bernardi and Stephan Gierasch, and Bernardi's "silent performance" during Ms. Knight's heart-wrenching monologue near the end, reveal a low-life character in whom one can perceive a glimmer of conscience *
Clearly, Paul Stanley's expert direction played a major role in the 3 major performances.
The role of the Doctor (Ludwig Donath), unfortunately, threatens to take this very real drama into a more abstract, philosophical direction...but this if the fault of author Silliphant, who often found it necessary to load his scripts with sermonizing that dilutes the drama; maybe it went over better in the early 60's. But, more often than not, I feel that viewers are clubbed into submission with flowery "socially relevant" tracts, when solid, insightful, cogent dialogue and characterization would have been more effective.
Thus, the doctor's scenes tend to distract from the drama's effectiveness more than they add. But it was even WORSE in the half-hour version, where the length and near-hysteria of the scene really cheat those of us who are far more concerned about the main story.
ALSO-- couldn't they find another KID for the family scenes? He was TOO BIG--could barely fit in the high-chair, and had dark curly hair-- looking NOTHING like either of the two leads. Maybe it was the producer's kid who needed a big screen debut. Also, did we need a LIBBY speech to close the episode, especially after the shattering emotional power of the 7 minutes preceding it? Bummer.
And, yes--- the boxing stand-in for Duvall in the opening scene is a very poor match-up. Too bad--so just shake it off and move on.
Overall, a brilliant success, and a great tribute to the late (as of last week -- 4/22/20) Shirley Knight. LR
*(Clem Fowler's portrayal of the manager in the original half-hour version never has a chance to evolve; the role is too short. FYI-- check Fowler as Rosencrantz in the legendary Richard Burton/John Gielgud "HAMLET" of 1964. Are you serious??)